Ultimate Roundup: Best Pill Organizers for Travel

Research has shown that most people don’t stick to their medication or supplements routine when travelling for work or on vacation. This is unfortunate because staying healthy and well is extra important when you travel. A pill organizer for travel can help. Our roundup will help you find the best pill organizer for your travel needs.

Here’s a summary of our roundup:

Welcome to the IW Personal Shopper! We go beyond one-size-fits-all "best product" recommendations and try to recommend products based on your specific needs whenever we can. Just pick the options that seems like the closest match for what you need.

To start with, who are you intending to use this pill organizer with? Do you anticipate using it yourself as an individual, sharing it with your partner as a couple, or sharing it with your partner and kids/parents/others as a family? Also don't forget to check out the special features tab, where we highlight pill organizers with unique characteristics that might fit you perfectly.

Select the option that seems like the best fit for your needs, then you will see additional options to drill down further.

You're planning to travel as an individual... for a few days, or a week or longer?

Here are the top-3 pill organizers for individuals travelling for a few days:

2nd pick

3rd pick

Fully submergible waterproof enclosure

Watersports junkies need to seriously consider the Facedy Outdoor Waterproof Pill Box. It is the only pill organizer in our roundup that claims to be fully waterproof - and yes that means fully submergible.

With this pill organizer, you don't have to let your need for access to important pills get in the way of your passion for white water rafting!

Why do you need a pill organizer for travel?

Chances are, if you are reading this page, you can already see how having a pill organizer can help you stay healthy when travelling. Travel is a break in routine, and often that break in routine can derail your health and wellbeing routines. What you might not realise, however, is just how dramatic the impact can be.

One academic research study has shown that weekend and vacation trips are the leading cause of missing medication doses [1] - and that study was focusing on patients taking hypertension medication. We can imagine the impact may be significantly worse for people “just” taking non-prescription vitamins and supplements.

“Factors that triggered forgetfulness appeared to be a disruption in daily routine, such as a change in routine on weekends oron vacation,or other behaviours, such as falling asleep or being late for work. - Nair et al.

The problem can only compound if you’re responsible for multiple people, such as a partner or children.

But beyond simply forgetting, travel introduces other complications, such as:

Under-packing; what if you simply don’t bring enough of a particular medication for your trip?

Over-packing; the other extreme is to just bring entire bottles of your medication, but who needs all that extra weight/bulk?

Difficulty of dosing through the day; some pills are meant to be taken in the middle of the day, when you may be out and about exploring some exotic location. How are you going to bring your medication along with you?

The risk of accidental overdosing; if you lose track of what you’ve taken, you may overdose, and overdosing can often be undesirable or downright dangerous.

Loss of privacy; when travelling for business, do you really want to have to take out your bottle of medication at your client’s offices?

The risk of losing pills; without a proper case, you could easily lose your vital medication. No-one likes their vacation plans ruined with a trip to the doctor or pharmacy.

For these reasons, even if you don’t use a pill organizer for everyday use, it is a very good idea to use one when travelling.

What factors to consider when comparing travel pill organizers

There are many different factors that differentiate one pill organizer from another. Listed below are 18 different factors to consider - which may sound like a lot, but they can be grouped together into just 4 themes. The 4 themes are:

Fit for purpose: When considering a pill organizer for travel, there are a few characteristics that determine whether or not a product can do the job.

Safety: Since we are talking about storage of medical consumable items, storing them safely is obviously a very important consideration.

Usability: If the organizer does not make things easy for you, what’s the point of even having it?

Other factors: If several pill organizers tick all the boxes so far, then there are some other factors you can consider to break the tie.

The individual factors across these 4 themes will be aggregated into a combined score for each product, and presented on a 5-star scale:

Fit for purpose

There are a few factors that determine whether or not a product is fir for the purpose of organizing pills. These factors are even more important in the context of travel, and there are also some factors unique to travel. To some extent, personal needs will dictate the importance of each factor, so it’s worth reading detailed reviews to find out if a particular pill organizer is right for your travel needs, but in general we can rate pill organizers for travel according to these criteria.

Each factor will be scored on a 5-star scale:

★★★☆☆ means a score of 3⁄5

Can it hold your largest pills? Pills come in various sizes. Some pills are tiny, while some (such as calcium tablets) can be quite large. Large pills can be made easy to swallow with the right shape and smooth surfacing - but being easier to swallow doesn’t make them easier to store. If you have big pills, you’ll need a pill organizer with sections big enough to hold them. Conversely, if you don’t have very big pills, you might prefer a pill organizer with slightly smaller sections since that will probably mean the pill organizer is of a smaller size overall, and hence a bit more portable.

Are there enough sections for you? Bob travels alone on business, and takes one pill every morning. Alice travels with family, and she takes one pill every morning, while her partner takes two in the morning and one before bedtime. Bob can make do with a simple pill organizer with just 1 slot per day - and for a longer trip he can probably double up the contents of each section. Alice, on the other hand, needs a pill organizer with more segments so she can help her family stay on top of their pill schedule. Are you more like Bob or more like Alice? When you’re trying to pick the best pill organizer for your organizational needs, the question mainly boils down to: how many sections do you need?

Is it small enough to be portable for you? While bigger pill organizers will have more sections for organizational efficiency and extra capacity, being bigger generally means being less portable. If you’re the sort of person who likes to be out and about with just a small purse then having a pill organizer that is small (or has detachable sections) would be a must. But if you’re always with a backpack then you can tolerate a slightly bigger size.

Pro-tip: you can buy more than one pill organizer

When considering different pill organizer options, don't stress if you find one that's almost perfect except that is has too few segments... remember that you can always buy more than one! If you travel with family, it may make sense to buy one for each family member. This will often be a more versatile solution than having one large pill organizer that everyone shares. Then again, having one large organizer makes it easier to organize refills, and also it will be a bit easier for you to notice when your kid hasn't taken their vitamin yet. Plus, you will just have one organizer to keep track of. Your mileage may vary.

Not rated:price. Pill organizers for travel are generally not very expensive, but there is a range in price - all other factors being for your purpose, why pay more? So, we would like to include price in our rating. But the problem is, prices fluctuate all the time. In fact, at the time of writing, we found at least one product on a 65% discount, and we don’t know how long the promotion will last. Therefore, a static rating based on price would be inaccurate because it could be out of date the moment we publish the guide. Therefore, we will not provide a rating for price. As a shopper it’s up to you to set your own budget and decide if some product is worth the price at the time of purchase. Note: The prices you see displayed within the Amazon widgets used throughout this page is accurate real-time pricing information that is updated dynamically direct from Amazon.

Safety

With anything you ingest, safety is a factor. While all the products reviewed in this roundup are safe, some score slightly better than others. For this theme it is possible to assign scores for the individual factors, and we will use a star rating system when reviewing specific products.

Each factor will be scored on a 5-star scale:

★★★☆☆ means a score of 3⁄5

What material is it made of? All the pill organizers we will review are generally believed to be safe to use, but some manufacturers are more explicit about what materials they used to manufacture their products, providing additional assurance.

Is it easy to clean? When you first receive your pill organizer, it is advisable to clean it, in case there is any residual particulate matter from the manufacturing process. However, especially for a travel pill organizer, it might be necessary to clean it occasionally. What if you drop it on the hotel bathroom floor? Or what if you put it down on the tray table on your flight and only notice later that it was not cleaned properly. Or worse: what if someone spills something on your organizer? While part of the job of a pill organizer is to keep your precious pills safe and clean, being able to clean the organizer as well is definitely a good thing.

Flight cabins are not the cleanest places, especially with budget flights. Having a pill organizer means you don’t have to put your pills down on a poorly cleaned tray table.

Will it keep fragile contents safe? Some pills, such as liquid-filled softgels, can’t withstand too much pressure. Some pill organizer designs are better suited to fragile pills.

Is the clasp mechanism strong? What you don’t want is for your pills to spill out in your backpack at the slightest drop. You want the cover to come off easily, but only when you deliberately want to open it. Accidental opening is not good. The other aspect of this is child safety: can the pill organizer be closed such that children cannot easily access the contents?

Is there a tight seal? When the container is closed, you want the seal to be strong enough so that it can provide a bit of water resistance to keep your pills dry in the event of some spillage or bad weather. But also, with powdery pills, having a strong seal is good because it prevents trace amount of powder leaking out of the organizer.

Usability

A pill organizer is meant to make your life easier, so usability is clearly an important consideration. For this theme it is possible to assign scores for the individual factors, and we will use a star rating system when reviewing specific products.

Each factor will be scored on a 5-star scale:

★★★☆☆ means a score of 3⁄5

Is it easy to retrieve and refill pills? Travel can take you to unexpected places. That’s part of the excitement and allure of travel. But it’s important not to forget your medication or supplements - especially when you’re travelling. That’s why it’s very important to have a travel pill organizer that makes it easy to retrieve your pills, whether you’re in your hotel room, on the train, or standing in line at the airport. For longer trips where you might need to refill your pill organizer while travelling, it helps to be easily refillable.

Are the sections detachable? Having detachable segments really opens up the range of possibilities with a travel pill organizer. Imagine you have a 2-week trip planned with the family; ideally you’d load up a big travel organizer with all your family needs for the whole trip. But what if you have mini day trips planned within that period? It would be a hassle (not to mention potentially unsafe) to lug around your whole set of pills for that small side trip. That’s where having detachable segments can be incredibly handy: if you can just slide off a day’s worth of pills, you can just pack that part in a day bag while leaving the rest safely in your luggage back at the hotel.

Detachable segments may be easier to lose

While detachable segments are undeniably practical, they do raise the question of what happens if you lose a segment or two? It would be desirable if the manufacturer provides replacement parts.

Are the sections clearly labelled? Having sections that are clearly labelled can make it easier to track and consume pills. Typically, pill organizer sections will be labelled with the day of the week, the time of day, or in some cases different sections may simply be numbered. The clearer the labelling, the less mental work is required of the user - no it’s not rocket science, but with the daily stress of life we could all use a little help. What’s a pill organizer for if it doesn’t help you stay organized?

Is there ancillary storage? A pill organizer has one job: to store pills. However, some pill organizers have additional storage for other items. For travel pill organizers, obviously the smaller the better, but it might be handy to have some extra space just to store bits of paper like prescriptions or product information slips.

Other factors

With fir for your purpose, safety, and usability taken care of, there are a few other factors that can differentiate one pill organizer from another. Although different factors may have different importance for different people, all these factors are generally desirable. Therefore, for this theme it is possible to assign scores for the individual factors, and we will use a star rating system when reviewing specific products.

Each factor will be scored on a 5-star scale:

★★★☆☆ means a score of 3⁄5

How robust is it? This factor almost belongs under the safety theme; if a pill organizer breaks and you lose your medication, it’s obviously a big deal. However, it’s not classified as a safety factor per se because there is no super strong pillbox on the market today. And even if there was, exposing your pillbox to severe punishment may expose you to the risk of losing it altogether - and no matter how strong a pillbox is, if you lose it, you lose your pills. Still, having a sturdy pillbox is beneficial because it will endure some punishment especially when travelling. You want the peace of mind of knowing that if you store your pillbox in your backpack and it falls out of the overhead compartment, the lids aren’t going to snap off spilling your pills inside your bag.

What about privacy? Medications and vitamins are a personal matter, and it would be nice to be able to keep your pill organizer on your dining table at the hotel buffet without worrying about the nosey people at the next table wondering what meds you take. Some pill organizers make it harder to see the contents within - and in fact some pill organizers don’t even look like pill organizers.

Tradeoff: privacy vs refill ease

There will often be a practical tradeoff between having a pill organizer that protects your privacy, and having a pill organizer that is easy to refill: if it's a bit harder to see the contents of the container, that means it won't be as obvious when you need to refill it. It's up to you to decide which is more important for your needs.

Are replacement parts available? Some travel pill organizers are made up of a number of detachable segments. While this can be very handy, it does introduce the risk of losing individual segments. If that happens it would be nice to know if replacement parts can be ordered. Note: if a product does not require replacement parts (for instance if it does not have detachable segments) then by convention we score it 5⁄5 for replacement parts.

Style. This will often be down to personal preference, but some manufacturers do obviously put more effort into the style of their pillbox designs than others.

Can you repurpose it? Everyone loves a product that can multitask. Suppose you start a family, and so you get a bigger pill organizer to handle medications and supplements for the whole family regime of medication and supplements - what do you do with your old smaller pill organizer? It’s up to each individual to come up with their own creative upcycling solutions, but some pill organizers are more amenable to repurposing. For instance, many people repurpose them as jewellery containers.

Travel pill organizers reviewed

Based on the factors described above, we have reviewed a number of different pill organizers, and here are the best ones for travel.

LeanTravel 7 Day Small Pill Case & Passport Wallet

The LeanTravel Pill Case wallet has 7 x 3 pill containers, with the intention of being a 7 day 3-times-per-day pill organizer. This pill organizer has many highly practical design elements to it, and the most unique thing about it is it is designed to hold your passport, and there’s even a pen holder. Clearly, they’ve thought about what people need when they spend a lot of time on flights.

Best for: Roadwarriors on long trips

★★★★☆ : Individuals on short trips

★★★★★ : Couples on short trips

★★★★★ : Families on short trips

★★★★★ : Individuals on long trips

★★★★★ : Couples on long trips

★★★★★ : Families on long trips

The LeanTravel pill case has large sections that will easily hold big pills. The manufacturer states that the material is BPA-free. Large flip-open lids make it easy to clean and dry segments. With a rigid body, internal lids plus an external enclosure and sleeve, it will keep your pills safe. The wallet enclosure also provides good privacy. On the downside, all those additional enclosure layers make it a bit more work to retrieve pills.

At 7.25 x 1 x 4 inches, this pill organizer is quite large, but this problem is mitigated by the fact that the pill segments are detachable into strips of 3, so you can easily remove a single strip containing a day’s worth of pills and keep it in your purse, bag, or jacket pocket.

The LeanTravel’s “3 times a day” design is quite unique. Most other organizers have a “2 times a day” (AM/PM) or “4 times a day” (Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night) design. If you really have a “4 times a day” requirement you might need to look at alternative designs, but for many people “3 times a day” might be a sweet spot. Even if you only need a “2 times a day” design, you can use the third section for aspirin or other incidentals.

The biggest complaint we have with the LeanTravel 7 Day Pill Case & Passport Wallet is the lack of labelling on the sections. Labelling can be very helpful for organization. If you are someone with a medication or supplement plan that changes day by day, we would not recommend this product.

Fit for purpose:

Ezy Dose Weekly AM/PM Travel Pill Planner

The Ezy Dose Weekly AM/PM Travel Pill Planner is an excellent take on the classic pill planner form factor. With 7 x 2 slots detachable into pairs, it’s quite a versatile option.

Best for: People with varied needs

It’s not always easy to anticipate how you will use something. Should you get a pill organizer for long trips with your family? Or should you get a pill organizer for quick business trips? If you can’t decide, the Ezy Dose AM/PM Travel Pill Planner is a decent all-rounder.

At 6 x 3.3 x 1.1 inches, the Ezy Dose Weekly AM/PM Travel Pill Planner is not the smallest pill organizer, but it is small enough to fit in most handbags. Furthermore, each daily AM/PM pair is detachable, and definitely pocket-sized. The sections are not huge; while a large calcium tablet or fish oil softgel will fit in a section, it won’t leave much room for other pills.

As there is no external enclosure, the lids are all there is to prevent your pills spilling out into your bag, but luckily they are reasonably good hinge-based lids. This design makes it quite easy to retrieve and refill. The seal, however, won’t be very strong. If this is a concern for you, it might make sense to store the unit in a ziplock bag.

The day and AM/PM labelling is good and clear. The design is obviously a pill container and the lids are translucent, but fortunately the body is opaque, so there is at least a bit of privacy.

★★★★☆ : Individuals on short trips

★★★★☆ : Couples on short trips

★★★★☆ : Families on short trips

★★★★☆ : Individuals on long trips

★★★★★ : Couples on long trips

★★★★★ : Families on long trips

Safety:

★★★★★ : Safe materials

★★★★★ : Easy to clean

★★★★★ : Contents safe

★★★★☆ : Strong clasp

★★★☆☆ : Tight seal

Misc:

★★★★☆ : Robust/rugged

★★★☆☆ : Preserves privacy

★☆☆☆☆ : Replacement parts

★★☆☆☆ : Style

★★★☆☆ : Repurposability

Usability:

★★★★★ : Easy to retrieve/refill

★★★★★ : Sections detachable

★★★★★ : Sections labelled

★☆☆☆☆ : Ancillary storage

Fit for purpose:

AUVON iMedassist Weekly Pill Organizer

The AUVON iMedassist Weekly Pill Organizer is a great example of a well-executed classic form-factor pill planner with large capacity. With 7 x 2 slots detachable into individual AM/PM strips, it’s a good option for those who need large sections.

Best for: Families/individuals with large pills

At 9 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches this is a large pill organizer, so it’s best avoided by individuals, but where the AUVON iMedassist may shine is for families. If you ignore what the labels mean, a family on a short trip can get a lot of mileage out of this pill organizer, you just have to remember whose pills are in which “day”.

The hinge-based lids are very good, and aesthetically very high quality as well, with attractive labeling, though there are some complaints about the labelling fading over time, and also complaints about the lids breaking over time. Unfortunately, there’s no external enclosure, so the seal won’t be the best, and in this case it’s quite a large unit so if you’re worried about the seal and you can’t to put the unit within a ziplock bag, you’ll need quite a large ziplock bag to be able to fit this large pill organizer.

The push button lid release mechanism and contoured sections make it easy to retrieve and refill pills.

Being such a large unit, and with a classic pill organizer look, the AUVON iMedassist doesn’t offer great privacy. But for those who need large sections, this is one to consider.

★★★☆☆ : Individuals on short trips

★★★★☆ : Couples on short trips

★★★★★ : Families on short trips

★★★☆☆ : Individuals on long trips

★★★★☆ : Couples on long trips

★★★★☆ : Families on long trips

Safety:

★★★★★ : Safe materials

★★★★★ : Easy to clean

★★★★★ : Contents safe

★★★★★ : Strong clasp

★★★★☆ : Tight seal

Misc:

★★★☆☆ : Robust/rugged

★★★☆☆ : Preserves privacy

★★★☆☆ : Replacement parts

★★★☆☆ : Style

★★★★★ : Repurposability

Usability:

★★★★★ : Easy to retrieve/refill

★★★★☆ : Sections detachable

★★★★☆ : Sections labelled

★☆☆☆☆ : Ancillary storage

Fit for purpose:

Simply Genius Daily Quad Pill Organizer

The Simply Genius Daily Quad Pill Organizer is a Folder with daily quad pillbox strips, in black or floral design. Besides the design option, you can also choose the number of sections and the size to suit your needs.

Best for: Families on long trips

At 7.6 x 5 x 1.5 inches for the small version, the Simply Genius Daily Quad Pill Organizer is definitely not compact. Furthermore, if you get the small version you may have trouble with larger pills, so you may need to consider the even bulkier option.

That said, for family travel, this does tick a lot of the boxes. While this is a relatively bulky pull organizer, it is small enough to fit in a backpack, but you could probably just leave it in your luggage because the detachable daily strips of 4 are perfect for most families. Unfortunately, replacement strips are not available, so you want to be careful not to lose any of the detachable strips.

With such a large form factor, it’s quite surprising to find that this design does not include any ancillary storage. We’re not necessarily expecting a passport and pen holder like the LeanTravel had, but the lack of a small slip pocket for bits of paper seems like an unfortunate oversight. That minor complaint aside, this is a great option for travelling families.

★☆☆☆☆ : Individuals on short trips

★★☆☆☆ : Couples on short trips

★★★★★ : Families on short trips

★★☆☆☆ : Individuals on long trips

★★★★☆ : Couples on long trips

★★★★★ : Families on long trips

Safety:

★★★★★ : Safe materials

★★★★★ : Easy to clean

★★★★★ : Contents safe

★★★★☆ : Strong clasp

★★★☆☆ : Tight seal

Misc:

★★★☆☆ : Robust/rugged

★★★☆☆ : Preserves privacy

★☆☆☆☆ : Replacement parts

★★★☆☆ : Style

★★★☆☆ : Repurposability

Usability:

★★★★★ : Easy to retrieve/refill

★★★★★ : Sections detachable

★★★★★ : Sections labelled

★☆☆☆☆ : Ancillary storage

Fit for purpose:

Vera Bradley Iconic Travel Pill Case

If you’re looking for a stylish pill organizer, this is definitely one for you. But this pill organizer has a lot more going for it than just looks. We must admit, initially we expected this would turn out to be a pill organizer that wasn’t very good, hiding behind a pretty face - shame on us, because when we looked into it, we found that the Vera Bradley Iconic Travel Pill Case is actually a thoughtfully designed, high quality pill organizer. Style is just the cherry on the cake.

Best for: individuals (especially women) or couples with smaller or fewer pills

★★★★★ : Individuals on short trips

★★★★★ : Couples on short trips

★★★☆☆ : Families on short trips

★★★★★ : Individuals on long trips

★★★★☆ : Couples on long trips

★★★☆☆ : Families on long trips

With just 8 sections that are not very big, this pill organizer may not be the best choice for families with many pills (though of course you can get more than one). But, if the capacity is sufficient for you, there’s a lot to like about this travel pill case.

The segments are not the largest, but they are large enough to hold one large calcium or fish oil pill. With a rigid body container and a zippered cotton fabric enclosure, this pill organizer will keep your pills nice and safe. There are many styles to choose from, and while most of the designs seem to cater to women rather than men, there are a few gender-neutral styles available as well.

If material safety is especially a concern, it should be noted that the manufacturer did not disclose if the material was BPA free or food-grade. This pill organizer is easy to clean as the plastic insert comes out of the cotton enclosure and has large lids. Even the fabric exterior is machine-washable. Retrieving pills requires a bit more effort compared to some other models.

While this is a relatively compact pill organizer (3.25 x 2 x 4.25 inches), the stylish Vera Bradley cotton exterior does add a bit of bulk such that you probably couldn’t fit it in your pocket if you absolutely need something pocket sized, you can remove the plastic interior from the case.

The fabric case is the strong suit of this pill organizer. It’s not just about style, the form factor also provides protection and privacy, and it has a small interior sleeve slot for ID or bits of folded paper such as prescriptions or drug information.

Fit for purpose:

Bidear Pill Case

The Bidear Pill Case is a simple, no-fuss, translucent case with a very strong clasp, with 10 fixed sections of differing sizes: 4 large, 2 medium, and 4 small.

Best for: Couples on short trips or individuals on long trips, who aren’t too concerned about privacy

At 3.7 x 2.4 x 1 inches, the Bidear is compact. The manufacture discloses that the material is food-grade PP, BPA-free, which is what you want to look for. With sections of differing size, it would not really suit users who like to organize their pills by day, so it’s best to organize by type of pill - and with 10 slots, it can certainly hold a few different types of pills.

You can tell just from looking at it that it’s clearly not the most stylish pill organizer. The lack of labelling is not ideal, so hopefully all your pills look different!

Fit for purpose:

XINHOME Pill Organizer Case

The XINHOME Pill Organizer has a classic leather outlook, and packed within are 7 fully separate segments with 4 sections each.

Best for: Families with no big pills

With 28 individual segments, the XINHOME is an obsessive organizers dream, but unfortunately the downside is that each section is rather small, which presents a problem for those with larger pills like calcium tablets or fish oil softgels. Furthermore, while it is small, it is not as compact as some other units available.

The other issue with the design of the XINHOME is the slide off plastic led on each detachable segment. There are two reasons this design may be problematic:

The lid can be easily dropped, which is a realistic concern when travelling.

Removing the lid will expose all 4 sections in each detachable piece, which is less than ideal, because it potentially exposes an entire day’s worth of pills when you just want to extract a single dose.

The first problem is compounded by the fact that replacement lids are not available, so if you lose a lid the entire segment is unusable.

But if your travel plans are usually a bit gentler such that you’re not too concerned about the issue with the slide lid, and if you don’t take big pills, the XINHOME Pill Organizer Case packs a lot of detachable sections in a relatively small form factor, so it may be worth checking out.

★★★☆☆ : Individuals on short trips

★★☆☆☆ : Couples on short trips

★★★★☆ : Families on short trips

★★★★☆ : Individuals on long trips

★★★☆☆ : Couples on long trips

★★★★☆ : Families on long trips

Safety:

★★★★★ : Safe materials

★★★★★ : Easy to clean

★★★★★ : Contents safe

★★★★★ : Strong clasp

★★☆☆☆ : Tight seal

Misc:

★☆☆☆☆ : Robust/rugged

★★★★★ : Preserves privacy

★☆☆☆☆ : Replacement parts

★★★★☆ : Style

★★☆☆☆ : Repurposability

Usability:

★★☆☆☆ : Easy to retrieve/refill

★★★★★ : Sections detachable

★★★★★ : Sections labelled

★☆☆☆☆ : Ancillary storage

Fit for purpose:

Opret Magnetic Foldable Pill Box Case

The distinguishing characteristic of the Opret Magnetic Foldable Pill Box Case is the magnetic clasp. Magnets clasps have this tactile quality that is just so enjoyable, and hard to reproduce with some other mechanism, so if you’re someone who loves the feel of magnetic clasps, this may be the one for you.

Best for: Individual travellers who like the feel of a magnetic clasp

Unfortunately, if you have big pills, this is not the one for you. This is a very compact unit, and coupled with the foldable design, that doesn’t leave much thickness in each of the 7 sections, so some bigger pills may be squeezed in a bit. One of the 7 sections is larger, but even that section has the same depth as the others, so the limitation remains.

While the magnetic clasp is the key selling point of this Opret pill organizer, it also has a downside, in that the magnetic clasp won’t be as strong as a zipper or hard plastic clasp.

The clean design, with fully opaque privacy-preserving exterior, is quite pleasant, so if you don’t have big pills and don’t need so much robustness, this might be a good choice. Business travellers take note.

Fit for purpose:

Fecedy Outdoor Waterproof Pill Box

The Facedy Outdoor Waterproof Pill Box is the perfect pill organizer for water sports junkies, because it is water-proof, and we mean it is submergible.

Best for: Water sports junkies

With 6 sections of differing sizes, the Facedy Waterproof Pill Box is not ideal for those who really want organizational rigor, so we would not recommend it as a device to share. The larger sections are large enough to hold big calcium or fish oil pills.

Obviously this pill case is robust - it is, after all, designed with outdoor use in mind. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not make clear if the materials used were BPA-free, so you should be aware of that.

With no labelling, sections of different size, and no detachable sections, the Facedy Outdoor Waterproof Pill Box is not the most usable pill organizer compared to some of the others we have reviewed, but if you’re going to get wet a lot, this is clearly one to consider.

Fit for purpose:

Ezy Dose 7-Sided Portable Pill Planner

There is a sense of symmetry to the Ezy Dose 7-Sided Portable Pill Planner - this is a weekly pill organizer, and there are 7 days in a week, so why not a 7-sided case!

Best for: People who like heptagons

While the design is novel, and it is quite a compact case, the Ezy Dose 7-Sided Portable Pill Planner is not the most practical design. Each of the 7 translucent sections are a little on the small side, so larger pills may be an issue. The labelling (first letter of the day of the week) is nice and bold, really emphasizing the intent to serve as a weekly organizer.

This pill organizer scores well on safety, so if the unique heptagon design appeals to you, go for it.

Fit for purpose:

VTAR Weekly Pill Box

The VTAR Weekly Pill Box packs 6 small and 1 large enclosure into a compact, highly transparent enclosure made of food grade BPA-free, PP material.

Best for: People who want a compact and highly transparent enclosure

The VTAR is a highly transparent enclosure, meaning it offers very little in the way of privacy, though it does make it easier to inspect the contents - which could be a plus if you need that visual reminder to know when to refill the contents, or to know when you forgot to take a dose.

Because the VTAR scores high marks for safety, is very compact, and has high transparency thus providing easy visibility for missed doses, it might suit families with minimal pill requirements.

★☆☆☆☆ : Individuals on short trips

★☆☆☆☆ : Couples on short trips

★★☆☆☆ : Families on short trips

★☆☆☆☆ : Individuals on long trips

★☆☆☆☆ : Couples on long trips

★★☆☆☆ : Families on long trips

Safety:

★★★★★ : Safe materials

★★★★★ : Easy to clean

★★★★★ : Contents safe

★★★★☆ : Strong clasp

★★★★☆ : Tight seal

Misc:

★★★★☆ : Robust/rugged

★☆☆☆☆ : Preserves privacy

★☆☆☆☆ : Replacement parts

★★☆☆☆ : Style

★★★☆☆ : Repurposability

Usability:

★★★★☆ : Easy to retrieve/refill

★☆☆☆☆ : Sections detachable

★☆☆☆☆ : Sections labelled

★☆☆☆☆ : Ancillary storage

Fit for purpose:

Lewis N. Clark Pill Organizer Pouches

The Lewis N. Clark Pill Organizer is a clutch that holds 8 normal plastic pouches plus one larger plastic pouch. The pouch-based design gives this pill organizer quite a high storage capacity, and because the pouches are individually detachable, it can be quite practical for families travelling together.

Best for: Families who love ziplock pouches and don’t mind a “plasticky” smell

Although the pouches are space-efficient, at 11 x 3.5 x 4 inches the overall pill organizer clutch case is not really compact, and at this size it is best for families travelling together.

Where it shines is in the flexibility of the pouches. They can obviously take as much (or as little) as you want. They are detachable, which can be especially practical for families. Lewis N. Clark obviously did think about usability since the pouches are labelled with numbers.

While some people will like the pouch-based design, it should be noted that the manufacturer did not state if the materials used are BPA-free, and some people have complained about a “plasticky” smell. It must also be noted that at the time of writing there was a California Proposition 65 warning for this product, so if you’re not sure about this, it may be best to avoid.

There are some other issues with a pouch-based design as well, such as the fact that it won’t provide rigid body support for somewhat fragile pills like liquid-filled softgels, and if the interior of the pouches get dirty for whatever reason, it might be hard to clean.

One plus point worth noting is that there are replacement pouches available, but the replacement pouches are not labelled.

Fit for purpose:

Alternative approaches

If for whatever reason none of the pill containers, pill organizers, and pill cases reviewed above work for you, here are two alternative approaches that you might want to consider

Why we don’t recommend pill organizer water bottles

We’ve seen them, and we know a lot of review sites like to highlight pill organizer water bottles, because at first glance they seem like a sensible combination: most people need water to take pills, so just combine them - genius! They’re certainly novel enough that people take notice. But we think they are a bad idea and they score so badly on safety and usability that we did not even bother listing them.

The problem is that a water bottle and a pill organizer have fundamentally different requirements if you stop and think about it. A water bottle is something you need constant access to, especially when travelling - you must stay hydrated. You want it within easy reach. A water bottle is also quite a robust thing; you want a water bottle you can drop, get a bit dirty (sweat or grime on the exterior should be fine), expose to sunlight (no BPA please), perhaps even share with a partner or your kids. You want to be able to use a water bottle without thinking about it.

A pill organizer is not like that at all. A pill organizer contains precious cargo that, while maybe not very expensive, does require some care and protection. Most people only want to access a pill organizer at certain times of the day. You definitely don’t want to pass your pills to your kids. Your pill organizer will be nowhere near as rugged as your water bottle ought to be - and even if it was, the contents might not fare so well when dropped at high impact as often as a water bottle might be on travel. And then there’s the fact that your water bottle will constantly be out for anyone to look at, and you might prefer a bit of privacy with your medication and supplements.

Therefore, we believe that a pill organizer and a water bottle should not be stuck together. Keep them separate and get the best of both worlds. But, if you really think a pill organizer water bottle would suit your particular needs, then the Safe Rx Locking Pill Bottle at least has a safety feature to address one of the major concerns.

The locking mechanism is not strong enough to make the contents theft-proof, but it does make it child-proof, and probably adds some tamper-proofing as well.

The irresistible convenience of ziplock plastic bags

We all try to live sustainably, and so we try to avoid anything disposable. Ziplock plastic bags are so damn convenient, but most of us try to draw the line at the kitchen. But if you absolutely cannot find a pill organizer that fits your needs from our guide above, then perhaps you might have no choice but to consider ziplock bags.

Ziplock plastic bags aren’t necessarily disposable, though. High quality ziplock bags can easily be reused. There are two key things you should look for in a ziplock bag for pill storage:

You want food-safe material; at a minimum look for BPA-free, but preferably look for something like FDA approved food-grade polyethylene material.

You want something of 4-millimetre (or more) thickness. That’s where the quality comes from that you need for reusability.

An example of a product that ticks both boxes is this product by Plymor, though you could look for a bigger size if that is too small, though personally we think this one is the right size for organizing medication and supplements.

Given the low price, it might be a good idea to have a set of these bags on standby for emergency purposes anyway. Though obviously, we’d recommend picking out a proper pill organizer if you can. A plastic bag will never take very good care of your pills, especially somewhat fragile pills like fish oil softgels.

Accessories

Now that you’ve picked the perfect pill organizer for your travel needs - is there anything else you should consider getting to get the most out of your new pillbox? There are two other things that you might find helpful: a medication/supplements reminders app, and potentially a pill splitter as well.

Medication/supplement dose reminders

Having all your medication and supplements in a pill organizer isn’t much use if you forget to take them. There are some high-end pill organizers that include medication reminder capabilities, but they’re generally too big to be practical for travel purposes.

The best solution for travel purposes is to use a pill reminder app. If you have four-times-a-day (or less) dosage requirements, Intrepid Pillbox is worth trying, especially since it is the only medication and supplements reminders app designed with frequent travellers in mind. It includes a travel planner feature to help you pack the right amount of each medication/supplement.

The Cadillac of Pill Organizers

If you're interested in a pill organizer with a built-in reminders feature, you really should check out the GMS Med-e-lert Automatic Pill Dispenser. This electronic pill dispenser is incredibly feature-rich, allowing up to 6 alarm times per day, with audible and visual alerting.

Unfortunately, it's far too big to be practical for travel, but it's nevertheless an impressive device! If you're looking for an at-home everyday pill organizer for someone with an extensive medication regimen, it's well worth checking out.

Pill splitters

Sometimes, pill dosages are prescribed in halves. For those cases, a pill splitter is a good idea because you can get more consistent splits, which means more precise dosage and less wastage. Some pill organizers have built-in pill splitters, but as far as we can tell there is no pill organizer on the market today that includes a pill splitter, and is suitable for travel. Therefore, your best bet is to buy a standalone pill splitter: they’re small, inexpensive, and work pretty well.

We hope you found our travel pill organizers guide useful. Don’t forget to drop us a note in the comments section below 👇 if you used our guide to chose your pill organizer. Happy travels!